Effort values

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Effort values (Japanese: 努力値effort values), abbreviated EVs, are attributes which give bonuses to an individual Pokémon's stats and improve differently depending which Pokémon they defeat. Officially, they have been referred to as 基礎ポイントbase points in Japanese since Pokémon Gold and Silver and as base stats in English since Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen.

In the context of Generations I and II, the effort system is unofficially known as Stat Experience, or "Stat Exp." for short.

Effort values, in the form of effort points, are gained in addition to bonuses gained by increasing level. Effort values ensure that trained Pokémon are stronger than wild Pokémon, even those of the same level. Effort points are awarded equally to all Pokémon who participated in defeating a Pokémon. Though they are shared, each of the Pokémon will receive the standard amount of effort points.

Shigeru Ohmori has stated that the reason EVs and IVs are hidden is because he prefers to think of Pokémon as "real, living creatures".[1]

Contents

Measuring EVs

If a Pokémon has the maximum 510 effort points, it can receive an Effort Ribbon (Generation III, IV and VI). This Ribbon will remain on the Pokémon even if its EVs are lowered such that it does not have 510 effort points.

In Pokémon Black 2 and White 2, Bianca, when called on the Xtransceiver after the player has defeated the Champion, will tell the player whether a certain Pokémon in the party has attained 510 total effort values. She will also notify the player if a Pokémon has reached 252 effort values in any stat.

Stat experience

The Pokémon data structure contains two EV bytes for each of the five stats (HP, Attack, Defense, Speed and Special), starting at zero when caught and with a maximum EV of 65535 for each stat. When a Pokémon is defeated, its base stats are converted to effort points and then added to the EVs. For example, defeating a Mew grants 100 effort points to each EV. (Defeating 656 Mew, therefore, will give a Pokémon maximum EVs in each stat.)

EVs are factored into the Pokémon's stats when it levels up. Additionally, EVs are calculated into stats when a Pokémon is taken from Bill's PC; this is called the box trick. A Pokémon which reaches level 100 can continue to acquire EVs up to the maximum of 65535 in each stat, and use the box trick to have those EVs factored in.

At level 100, the formula for determining the stat difference between a Pokémon trained in that stat and an untrained Pokémon is approximately .

EVs behave the same in Generation II as they did in Generation I. Both Special Attack and Special Defense share the EV for Special to maintain compatibility. The amount of Special EVs received is equal to the defeated Pokémon's Special Attack base stat. The box trick can still be used.

Modern system

Since Generation III, effort points have been completely separate values from base stats. Defeated Pokémon give out 1, 2 or 3 effort points to a particular stat, depending on species (see list of Pokémon by effort value yield). However, in battles that do not give any experience (such as in the Battle Tower or if the Pokémon is level 100), Pokémon will not gain any effort points. At level 100, a Pokémon's stats will be one stat point higher in a specific stat for every four effort points gained in that stat.

Pokémon are limited to a total of 255 effort points per stat, and 510 effort points in total. However, since stats are calculated by dividing effort by 4 and disregarding the remainder, only 252 effort points are required to maximize a stat. In Generation VI, the limit was changed from 255 to 252, preventing wasting EVs.

Vitamins add 10 effort points, but cannot raise a stat above 100, or raise the total above 510. These Vitamins can be found for 9,800 in department stores or in Laverre City in Generation VI. The list of Vitamins include:

If a Pokémon holds an Exp. Share, it will receive effort points even if the battling Pokémon has maxed out its effort points. If the Pokémon with the Exp. Share has Pokérus, the amount of effort points received is doubled.

The Macho Brace doubles the effort points gained in battle. In combination with the Pokérus, a Pokémon can gain four times the normal effort points. However, the effects of the item do not transfer to a Pokémon holding an Exp. Share.

Generation III

In Generations III and IV, for every Pokémon that has gained Effort Points in battle, stats will be recalculated upon leveling up, except for Deoxys, whose stats are recalculated after every battle instead. Stats are also recalculated immediately if a Vitamin or stat-reducing Berry (see below) is used on the Pokémon.

Starting in Pokémon Emerald, certain Berries that were previously only used to make Pokéblocks can decrease certain effort values by 10 effort points, while increasing the friendship of the Pokémon they were used on. The game will tell the player if the Pokémon's friendship cannot increase or if the stat does not decrease. These Berries are:

Generation IV

Most of the Generation IV EV system remains unchanged from Generation III. However, EV-reducing Berries will reduce Effort Points to 100 if the current Effort Points for the stat were above 100.

A new series of items exist which give an additional four effort points per Pokémon defeated. Each applies the bonus to a different stat, in addition to the normal effort points gained. The bonus effort points are also doubled by the Pokérus. The effects of these items do not transfer over to a Pokémon holding an Exp. Share.

If a Pokémon has alternate forms that change its stats (e.g. Giratina), any effort points acquired will be applied to its stats when the form is changed, allowing the player to boost their Pokémon's stats without having to level it up.

Generation V

EV-reducing Berries no longer reduce Effort Points to 100 if the points were above 100; instead, only 10 EVs are deducted.

Pokémon can now gain effort values from battling even at Level 100, and stats are recalculated at the end of every battle instead of only after leveling up, much like Deoxys in the Generation III games. When a Pokémon is defeated, EVs do not get added until after all experience points have been added (if the Pokémon levels up more than once, the second level it gains will have new EVs calculated into it). If a Pokémon levels up in the middle of a battle, its stats will update assuming there are EVs to add from a previously defeated opponent, but EVs from the opponent that caused it to level up will not be added until after the experience points have been completely added. This entire mechanic was overhauled in Pokémon Black and White Versions 2; EVs are now added before Experience, so if the victorious Pokémon gains enough Experience to level up, its new stats when displayed in battle include the new EVs.

A new kind of item called Wings are introduced which are similar to Vitamins but only give 1 effort point when consumed. Unlike Vitamins however, Wings are not subject to the 100 EV limit and can be consumed until the maximum value of 255 for one stat (or a combined 510 for all stats) is reached. There are 7 types of Wings in total, but only 6 Wings contribute to a specific stat: the Pretty Wing does nothing at all. Wings can be collected from the shadows at the Driftveil Drawbridge or Marvelous Bridge and are given as prizes for clearing higher level floors in the Black Tower and White Treehollow.

In Pokémon Black 2 and White 2, Join Avenue's Beauty Salon, Dojo and Café can alter a Pokémon's EVs for a determined price.

Generation VI

All items and mechanics for effort values remain the same in Generation VI as they were in Generation V, except individual stats now max out at 252 EVs instead of 255. This provides no functional difference from previous generations, since stats are calculated by integer division of the effort values by 4, so having 252 EVs has the same effect on a stat as having 255.

Generation VI also introduced a new feature called Super Training, which allows the player to increase effort points for each stat individually, or remove all effort points from a Pokémon entirely. Super Training Regimens feature minigame activities where the Pokémon attacks various balloons with footballs/soccer balls, which award effort points for the stat of the player's choosing as well as awarding a Training Bag. Training Bags also typically increase effort points, though some of them have other effects—such as the Double-Up Bag, which doubles the number of effort points awarded after a Regimen, or the Reset Bag, which reduces all effort points on a single Pokémon to zero.

In Pokémon X and Y, EV-altering juices can be made or bought at the Juice Shoppe in Lumiose City. If the player mixes two Berries of the same color, they will produce an EV Juice that raises a stat corresponding to the Berries' color by an amount depending on the Berries used; pre-made EV Juices can also be purchased from the Juice Shoppe, with the available juices varying each day. If the player mixes a Kee and Maranga Berry, they can produce the Perilous Soup, which reduces all effort points on a single Pokémon to zero.

Super Training exposes base stats to the player for the first time. Using a Reset Bag will numerically display the effort points a Pokémon just had, which can be reverted by restarting without saving. Additionally, high-level Pokémon can determine their individual values mathematically by inspecting the values of their stats after a Reset Bag is used.

Catching a wild Pokémon will now give EVs for that Pokémon as if it were defeated.

Fully Trained Pokémon

A Fully Trained Pokémon is a Pokémon that has reached 510 EVs overall, the maximum a Pokémon can achieve. In Generations III, IV, and VI, there is an NPC that will give an Effort Ribbon to Fully Trained Pokémon; in Generation V, an NPC in Opelucid City will comment that the Pokémon has put in a lot of effort if it is a Fully Trained Pokémon.